Vegetable-masher.



VEGETABLE MASHER.

APPLICATION EILED SEPT. 9, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

STATES ATENi Patented May 16, 1905.

VEGETABLE-[WASHER- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.789,892, dated May 16, 1905.

Application filed September 9, 1903. Serial No. 172,447.

To all whom, it may c0ncern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN WALKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Vegetable-Mashers; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to vegetable-mashers, and has for its object theproductionof an improved mechanism for comminuting and mashing boiledpotatoes and other friable vegetabless; and it consists substantially ofa stationary jaw removably mounted in a frame and provided with smallopenings therein, a jaw removably hinged adjacent to the lower portionof the stationary jaw and provided with projections thereoncorresponding to the openings in the stationary jaw and also providedwith wings on the ends thereof adapted to pass close to the ends of thestationary jaw and with a cut-off plate on the upper edge thereof, areceptacle above this mechanism gradually increasing in size from thetop downward for holding vegetables to be mashed, and mechanism foroperating the movable jaw whereby boiled potatoes or other friablevegetables can be placed in the receptacle and the movable jaw operatedto mash them and force the particles thereof through the openings in thestationary jaw.

Another feature of this machine is that of the separability of itsparts, which enables the operator to speedily and effectually clean theparts of the mechanism after use.

The features of my invention are hereinafter fully and at large setforth and explained, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure l is a front view in elevation of my improvedvegetable-masher. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the same with thehopper removed, parts thereof being broken away. Fig. 8 is a verticalsection of the machine on the line a; 00 in Fig. 1 with parts of theframe broken away beyond said line.

In the drawings illustrating my invention, A is'the frame, and A thelegs thereof. In this frame I removably mount an inclined jaw B,provided on its lower edge with lugs 7) to engage openings at in theframe (see Fig. 3) and with lateral lugs 7/ on the top thereof adaptedto engage slots (0 in the top of the sides of the frame A, (see Fig. 2,)by means whereof this jaw B can be readily lifted out of the frame A. Inthis jaw B, I make small openings, preferably in the form of narrowslots B, which openings extend substantially through the entire surfaceof the jaw, and on the lower edge of the frame of the jaw I preferablymake a bearing C, adapted to receive the rounded lower edge cl of amovable jaw D and form a bearing therefor in which it will freely turnand from which it can be quickly removed. The face of the jaw D isprovided with projections cZ, adapted to enter the openings B in the jawB when the movable jaw D is brought into contact with the jaw B. To theends of the jaw D there are secured wings E E, projecting beyond theface of the jaw D and slightly beyond and in close proximity to the endsof the jaw B when the jaw D is moved backward to the extreme point ofits backward traverse, as shown in all the figures. To the upper edge ofthe movable jaw D there is secured a curved plate F, (see Fig. 3,) whichmoves back and forth with said jaw and operates to cut off and tosupport the vegetables above it during the forward movement of the jawD. For operating the jaw D., I preferably pivot a link G in a lug 6Z2 onthe back thereof by means of a removable pin g, so that the link G canbe quickly detached from the jaw D. The opposite end of the link Gr ispivoted to an arm h of the lever H, which is pivoted in the top of theback of the frame A, so that the upward and downward movement of the armh of said lever H operates to move the jaw D toward and away from thejaw B. On the top of the frame A, over the jaws B and D, I removablysecure a receptacle or hopper I, secured to the frame A by means ofconvenient catches J J. The upper end I of this receptacle ishopper-shaped, and the sides and ends of the lower part I thereof,extending from the hopper portion I downward to the point where thecut-off plate F passes under it, gradually flare outward, so that softvegetables placed therein will not become bridged or clogged therein,but will at all times move downward freely when the cut-0E plate F ismoved backward with the jaw D, this gradual enlargement of thereceptacle I from the bot tom of the hopper-top downward being animportant feature of its construction for the reason above stated.

In operation boiled or otherwise softened vegetables being placed in thereceptacle Ithe movement of the lever H operates the jaw D to mash themand force the mashed particles thereof through the openings in the jawB, and when it is desired to clean the parts of the mechanism the pin 9is removed and the receptacle I detached and the jaws B and D thenlifted out of the frame A, and after cleaning they can be quicklyreplaced therein.

Having thus described my invention, so as to enable others to constructand use the same, what I claim as new. and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States, is-

1. The combination in a vegetable-masher, of aframe, astationary jawremovably mounted therein and provided with small openings therethrough,a movable jaw removably hinged adjacent to the lower edge of thestationary jaw, a hopper above said jaw, a cutoff plate secured to theupper edge of the movable jaw, and means for operating said movable jawsubstantially as set forth.

2. The combination in a vegetable-masher, of a frame, astationary jawremovably mounted therein, and provided with small openingstherethrough, a movable jaw removably hinged to the lower edge of thestationary jaw, projections on the face thereof corresponding to theopenings in the stationary jaw, wings on the ends of the movable jawoperating in close proximity to the ends of the stationary jaw, a hopperabove said jaw, a cutoff plate secured to the upper edge of the movablejaw, and mechanism for moving the movable jaw back and forth,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination in a vegetable-masher, of a frame, astationary jawremovably mounted therein and provided with small openings therethrough,a movable jaw removably hinged adjacent to the lower edge of thestationary jaw, projections on the face thereof corresponding to theopenings in the stationary jaw, a vegetable-receptacle on said frameabove said jaw mechanism gradually enlarged from the upper part thereofdownward, a cutoff plate on the movable jaw adapted to cut off andsupport material in the receptacle when the movable jaw is moved towardthe stationary jaw, and mechanism for vibrating the movable jawsubstantially as set forth.

4. The combination in a vegetable-masher, of a frame, a stationary jawprovided with lugs removably engaging grooves or notches in said frame,a movable jaw hinged adjacent to the fixed jaw by means of opendetachable bearings, detachable mechanism for operating said movablejaw, and a detachable vegetablereceptacle, whereby the said parts can bequickly detached from the frame for cleaning, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN WALKER. I

Witnesses:

H. M. STURGEON, G. J. MEAD.

